Magic-76ers Preview

By NOEY KUPCHANPosted Dec 03 2013 1:42AM

The Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers have both seen last month's struggles carry into December.

Orlando, though, may feel better about getting on track given its recent efforts in the series.

Hoping to have Nikola Vucevic available, the visiting Magic try to continue their domination of the 76ers as these teams meet for the second time in six days on Tuesday night.

Currently last in the Southeast Division, Orlando (6-11) has dropped nine of 12 after getting blown out 98-80 at Washington on Monday. Arron Afflalo had 21 points and Maurice Harkless added 16 off the bench, but the Magic shot just 39.0 percent while being held to a season low in points.

"We had great looks, I think we had great opportunities, but we just didn't finish," said rookie Victor Oladipo, who scored 13. "So you live to play again. We got a back-to-back, so we just got to bounce back."

The Magic have had the 76ers' number over the years, taking three straight matchups and 21 of 25 dating to December 2006. They won 105-94 on Wednesday behind 21 points and 16 rebounds from Vucevic, outscoring Philadelphia 52-36 in the paint.

"When you look at their interior bigs ... we couldn't guard them, and we had to go to schemes and different ways to get help to our bigs," 76ers coach Brett Brown told the NBA's official website. "It's a problem."

Vucevic, who spent the first season of his career with the 76ers, has averaged 14.0 points and 16.5 boards in four meetings against his former team.

Philadelphia (6-12) has dropped a season worst-tying four straight and eight of nine, falling 115-100 at Detroit on Sunday. Thaddeus Young had 24 points and Evan Turner scored 20 for the 76ers, who were outscored 70-46 in the first half and never recovered.

The 76ers are giving up a whopping 110.1 points per game to rank last in the league, 7.1 more than the next-closest team. They've also yielded a league-worst 192 3-pointers.

"It's pretty obvious we need to come out better," said rookie Michael Carter-Williams, who had 15 points and six steals. "We need to play better defense. We're doing fine scoring the ball, it's not the points, it's our defense. We have to come together, stop penetration, stop their big men from scoring easily at the basket. It's a team effort and we have to put the pieces together."

Carter-Williams recorded 23 points and four steals against the Magic last week while Oladipo had 18 and five. The first-year stars are averaging 17.0 and 13.2 points to rank first and second, respectively, among all rookies.

"Through the draft process we grew our relationship, so it's always fun being competitive going against your friends," Oladipo, who had eight turnovers in the first matchup, said of Carter-Williams. "So I'm looking forward to doing it again."

While Oladipo's mark of 3.8 turnovers per game ranks as one of the worst in the NBA, he's had only three in the two games since Wednesday's loss.

"His decision making, he's starting to realize that simplicity is a good key for him," coach Jacque Vaughn said. "Overall, he's been correcting a lot of mistakes that he can correct."

In addition to Vucevic, Orlando could again be without Jameer Nelson, who has missed back-to-back games with a sprained left foot.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Carter-Williams leads 76ers past Magic in 2OT

By DAN GELSTONPosted Dec 04 2013 1:23AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo gave the NBA a double dose of triple-double history.

Carter-Williams had 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for Philadelphia, and Oladipo had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for Orlando, the first time two rookies had a triple-double in the same game.

After 58 minutes of hoops, Carter-Williams had the only stat that truly mattered - the win.

Carter-Williams had his first career triple-double, and Thaddeus Young added 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the 76ers past the Magic 126-125 in double-overtime on Tuesday night.

Carter-Williams got his 10th assist on a dish to Young late in the second OT to put the Sixers up 125-120.

"It's not me versus Oladipo," Carter-Williams said. "It's Sixers versus Orlando. It's a team game. I just wanted to get the win."

Arron Afflalo scored a career-high 43 points for the Magic and Glen Davis had a career-high 33.

"I'm upset we lost, but under the circumstances of how we were able to stay in the game, I'm proud of the guys," Afflalo said.

Turner was whistled for his fifth foul with 12.1 seconds left in the first OT on Afflalo's 3-point attempt. Afflalo made all three free throws, tying the score at 118. The Magic fell behind early in the second overtime and the Sixers held on from the free-throw line.

The Magic, coming off a 98-80 loss at Washington on Monday night, played without Nik Vucevic (14.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg) because of a sprained left ankle and point guard Jameer Nelson (sprained left foot).

Davis stunned the Sixers with his first 3-pointer of the season, nailing it from the top of the key to tie the score at 104-all with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. He was 6 for 40 in his career on 3s and hadn't made one since the 2011-12 season.

"He loves playing, he loves competing, he loves to win," coach Jacque Vaughn said. "I'm going to spring for some ice for the ice bath and cool him down for two days from now."

Afflalo sparked a rally earlier in the quarter, capping a 9-0 run with a jumper that gave the Magic a 98-96 lead with 2:45 left. After the Sixers grabbed a four-point lead, Afflalo buried his fourth 3 to make it a one-point game. Young scored for the Sixers, then Davis connected in the clutch.

The Sixers stil had a huge edge beyond the arc, making 11 of 29. The Magic missed 20 of 26.

"We pulled it out, and that's huge," Turner said. "The experience is great. Both sides have young teams. I'm just glad we were able to come out on top. It was crazy."

Carter-Williams' first 3 of the game in the third made it 83-72, getting a rise out of the roughly 10,000 fans who turned out for this one.

Carter-Williams was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month before the game, the first Sixers rookie to win the award since Allen Iverson in April 1997. Carter-Williams, the 11th overall pick of the draft, had already scored 20-plus points five times this season and helped the Sixers beat Miami, Washington and Chicago to open the season. He made 11 of 19 shots and chipped in three steals with a banged-up right knee against the Magic.

The Sixers (7-12) have cooled considerably since their surprising start, but first-year coach Brett Brown has them playing hard and playing smart. As the NBA season tipped off, the over-under out of Las Vegas for total wins for the 76ers this year was 16.5, the lowest of any team in the league.

They should top that - and Carter-Williams is a big reason why the Sixers are somehow in the playoff mix.

"We all played great," Carter-Williams said.

Of course, an Atlantic Division littered with bad basketball and underachievers also has the Sixers in the hunt. None of the five teams in the division have a winning record.

The Magic's record would have them chasing first in the Atlantic instead of dumping them in last in the Southeast Division, well behind Miami.

Afflalo was 14 of 27 from the field, made five of Orlando's six 3s, and was 10 of 11 from the free-throw line.

"It's was a long game and, to lose by a point, that was a tough," Afflalo said.

NOTES: Orlando played the second game of a six-game road trip. ... Carter-Williams had Philadelphia's first triple-double since Andre Iguodala on March 23, 2005. ... Orlando's starters scored all but nine points. ... There were 23 lead changes and 16 ties.

Copyright 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Sixers 126, Magic 125

THE FACT: According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this was the first time in NBA history that two rookies -- Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo -- recorded triple-doubles in the same game.

THE LEAD: Carter-Williams scored 27 points, swept a career-best 12 rebounds and added 10 assists in leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a thrilling 126-125 victory over the Orlando Magic in double overtime Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Thaddeus Young had 25 points and 12 rebounds and Evan Turner scored 24 points. James Anderson had 19 off the bench, Spencer Hawes contributed 17 and Hollis Thompson had 10. The Sixers improved to 7-12 and snapped a four-game losing streak.

Arron Afflalo led the Magic with a career-high 43 points. Glen Davis also scored a career-best 33 points. Oladipo was tremendous as well with 26 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Jason Maxiell had 12 points for the Magic, who fell to 6-12.

QUOTABLE: "We put the ball in his hands and trust him to make the right decision. And he did."-- Hawes on Carter-Williams.

THE STAT: The Sixers won despite allowing the Magic to shoot 50 percent from the field. The Sixers were 0-3 when that had occurred this season and were 1-18 in 2012-13.

TURNING POINT: There were so many twists and turns in this game. It came down to the Sixers making just enough plays at the end of the second overtime.

HOT: Carter-Williams was 11-for-19 and Young was 10-for-20. Davis knocked down 15 of his 24 shots while Afflalo was 14-for-27.

NOT:Ronnie Price was 0-for-6 for the Magic. Lavoy Allen struggled for the Sixers, going 0-for-4 in 14:22.

GOOD MOVE: The Sixers kept the ball in Carter-Williams' hands and let him run the offense. He played 46:32 with a swollen knee, but played at an extremely high level and made great choices down the stretch.

BAD MOVE: On this night, it was simply two teams fighting and scrapping until the very end.

INSIDE THE ARENA: The crowd of 10,061 was treated to a heck of a matchup. As the game continued in double overtime, the decibel level got louder. Former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter attended the game and received a nice ovation.

QUOTABLE II: "We came to play today, but we didn't finish it."-- Davis

NOTABLE: Shortly before tipoff, Carter-Williams was named the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October and November. He is the first Sixer to win the award since Allen Iverson in April of 1997. ... The Magic played without center Nikola Vucevic (ankle), guard Jameer Nelson (sprained left foot) and forward Tobias Harris (left ankle). ... Afflalo became the first Magic player to score 40 or more points since Dwight Howard had 45 at Golden State on Jan. 12, 2012. ... The only other Orlando rookie to record a triple-double was Penny Hardaway at Boston on April 15, 1994. ... The last Sixer to earn a triple-double was Andre Iguodala against Detroit on March 23, 2005. ... This was the second double-overtime game of the season for the Sixers. ... Davis tied the game at 104 with a 3-pointer with 18.1 seconds remaining in regulation. It was Davis' first trey of the season and his first since the 2011-12 season. He had been 6-for-40 from beyond the arc in his career heading into this game.